Contents

Attributes

The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and its related forms coat the user's body in yellow chakra, which emanates from them reminiscent of flickering flames;[4][5] in the anime, Minato Namikaze's is also surrounded by a slight dark aura.[6] The form's design differs between users and can even change over time,[1] but certain features are consistent across all forms: two horns on their head, six magatama markings around their neck, some sort of prominent circular/swirl design over their stomach, and various other lines extending along their body.

Like all jinchūriki transformations, the user's physical abilities are enhanced while the mode is active, with greater enhancements coming from using more of the Nine-Tails' chakra. While using just the basic Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, Naruto Uzumaki is strong enough to defeat members of the White Zetsu Army with a single kick[7] and fast enough to dodge the Fourth Raikage using his Lightning Release: Body Flicker Technique.[8] The chakra that surrounds the user also helps in protecting them from damage, allowing them to take lava and boil-based attacks and suffer only minor injuries.[9] Naruto is even able to survive Tenpenchii because of his protective cloak, though the cloak itself is lost in the process.[10] The user's scent and chakra signature also change.[11]

From the chakra that surrounds them, users are able to produce chakra arms as a way to interact with their surroundings or improve their manoeuvrability. Naruto primarily uses the arms to help him form the Rasengan and its variants, having the arms assist with the shape or nature transformation that he usually relies on shadow clones for.[12]

Forms

Naruto's Yang Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Minato's Yin Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

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While using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, users' eyes become orange but their pupils remain the same. Like previous jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, Naruto is able to sense negative emotions while he's in this form,[13] seemingly regardless of distance[14] or obstructions.[15] He also releases a powerful life force while the mode is active, causing wood constructs to quickly mature into full-grown trees when he's nearby[5] and White Zetsus to become trees when he contacts them.[16]

The initial risk of Naruto using Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.

Despite the passive abilities and enhancements he gains, Naruto's use of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode is initially marked by limitations due to the Nine-Tails refusing to cooperate with him. This prevents him from using Tailed Beast Balls while in this form,[17] though he is eventually able to create miniature versions.[18] Because Naruto "shelves" his own chakra in this form and instead draws on the Nine-Tails', his early uses of it come with a risk that the Nine-Tails will take that shelved chakra, resulting in Naruto's death. Naruto must, therefore, be careful of how long he uses the form for and how many shadow clones he creates, as doing too many only increases the risk.[19] The Nine-Tails eventually stops trying to take Naruto's chakra,[20] and soon after that, starts cooperating, removing these limitations.[21]

Kurama Mode

Naruto's Yang Kurama Mode.

Naruto's complete Kurama Mode.

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Once Naruto learns the Nine-Tails' name - Kurama - their hearts synchronise and Naruto becomes able to enter what is referred to as Kurama Mode (九喇嘛モード, Kurama Mōdo).[22] His pupils becomes slitted, the whisker-like markings on his face become thicker to resemble the ☰ trigram, and the chakra shroud's shape alters to resemble a full-length haori, similar to the one Minato usually wears.[23] For all intents and purposes, Kurama Mode is a completed version of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode: Tailed Beast Mode without the full transformation, meaning that Naruto is able to use Tailed Beast Balls.[22] He can partially manifest parts of Kurama's body if needed, such as its head[24] and tails.[25] In The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto is shown isolating the Kurama Mode transformation to one hand.

Naruto is able to transfer his and Kurama's chakra to others, granting them tailless version 1-like chakra shrouds that greatly enhance their techniques: Hinata Hyūga, for example, is able to deflect one of the Ten-Tails' tails with a single Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm.[26]Kakashi Hatake states that the power and volume of the transferred chakra is even greater than when Kurama earlier directly handed chakra to him, which had improved his Kamui at least three-fold.[27] Despite Kurama's contribution, C claims the transferred chakra more closely resembles Naruto's own.[28]

Tailed Beast Mode

Naruto and Minato are able to create full-size replicas of Kurama. Whereas other jinchūriki's Tailed Beast Modes cause them to fully transform into their respective tailed beast, Naruto and Minato's are only an alteration of their earlier chakra cloaks, changed, to resemble Kurama: the replicas are the same translucent orange colour and have similar dark lines all across its body.[23] Minato is able to enter this form directly from Nine-Tails Chakra Mode, while Naruto must initially first enter Kurama Mode.[29] Naruto is initially limited to only using this form for five minutes because he hasn't perfected his bond with Kurama,[23] but with practice they extend this to eight minutes,[30] and then again to some unspecified limit.

While Tailed Beast Mode is active, Naruto and Minato hover within the construct's head. They can in fact allow others to enter the construct as well, extending its protection to them and allowing Kurama to heal their wounds and replenish their chakra.[31] Because it isn't a proper transformation, Naruto and Minato can still use their other jutsu from within this form, such as the Rasengan and Shadow Clone Technique,[32] and can even use the construct's tails as chakra arms.[33] Kurama is able to speak through this replica and can be granted control of it;[31] in The Last: Naruto the Movie, Naruto is shown manifesting the construct separately from himself, with Kurama in control.

Senjutsu Influence

Naruto's combination of Kurama Mode and Sage Mode.

Naruto can combine his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and its various forms with Sage Mode to further enhance his abilities with the power of senjutsu.[34] His pupils become a combination of the two forms: the vertical fox-slits with the horizontal toad-slats. Naruto notes he can absorb natural energy more quickly than usual while in Kurama Mode.[35]

Six Paths Sage Mode

Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode.

Main article: Six Paths Sage ModeSix Paths Sage Mode (六道仙人モード, Rikudō Sennin Mōdo) is a form which empowers the user's abilities to a far greater extent by utilising the Six Paths Sage Chakra. It is a divine state gifted by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki to those who have an iron faith and the guts to never give up.[22] The one consistent hallmark of Six Paths Sage Mode are Naruto's eyes: his eyes are yellow, his pupils are a cross of vertical fox-slits with horizontal toad-slats, and there is no pigmentation around his eyes that would otherwise signify standard Sage Mode.[36]
Naruto retains the ability to enter Tailed Beast Mode,[37] which, in terms of strength, is comparable to Sasuke Uchiha's Complete Body — Susanoo[38], thanks to Six Paths Sage Chakra. Through the use of shadow clones, Naruto has shown the ability to combine three Kurama avatars into a single construct with three faces and six arms,[39] which greatly resembles his ancestor Asura Ōtsutsuki's own chakra avatar.[40] This form is known as "Asura Kurama Mode".[41]

Trivia

Prior to Naruto entering Kurama Mode for the first time, the markings on Naruto's chakra shroud would extend further along his arms and legs whenever he attempted to form the Tailed Beast Rasengan, causing his cloak to briefly progress toward its complete form.[42][43][44]

In the anime's Power arc, Naruto temporarily assumes an incomplete version of the Nine-Tails Chakra Mode after breaking free from Kurama's influence. During his brief time in the form, Naruto is able to form an incomplete Tailed Beast Rasengan, use chakra arms, and enter an imperfect version of the Tailed Beast Mode, although it lacked legs and possessed only six tails.

When Minato first entered this mode, his bangs spiked upward and his chakra cloak gained horns similar to those of his son. His hairstyle, however, reverted to its original state in the latter part of chapter 639.